The present invention/product relates to holders for harmonicas which enable a musician to play a harmonica while simultaneously performing on another hand-operated instrument such as piano, organ, guitar, bass guitar, drums, etc. U.S. patents issued for such devices fall into two categories: (1) The harness-type harmonica holder typified by U.S. Pat. No. 3,172,328 of Mar. 9, 1965 issued to E. Haile, and (2) the harmonica stand, U.S. Pat. No. 4,212,219 issued July 15, 1980 to D. Hubbard.
Devices such as those similar to the Haile harmonica holder, U.S. Pat. No. 3,172,328, are ordinarily suspended from around the musician's neck and have the problem of impeding not only the general movements of the performer, but more importantly, impeding the performer's ability to achieve levels of musical virtuosity similar to the levels of virtuosity attainable by the same player when holding the harmonica by hand. The primary reasons for these impediments are that the neck harness-type harmonica holders are rigidly set to a horizontal axis which is difficult for the performer to modify without some degree of undesirable physical contortion and which horizontal axis is often not sufficiently similar to the preferred individually distinctive horizontal axis of the harmonica and the resulting mouth-to-harmonica alignment which naturally occurs when the harmonica is hand-held by the performer. Further, the impediments to general mobility and attainable virtuosity exist because the neck harness-type harmonica holder attaches the harmonica to the performer's body, and thus the harmonica tends to move slightly ahead of the player as the player moves the mouth and head to the right and left while playing the various harmonica's pitches. This characteristic tendency inherent to the neck harness-type harmonica holder greatly limits the speed and accuracy with which the player can perform on the harmonica. This limitation is especially noticeable during the performance of styles or interpretations that are melodic rather than chordal in their musical nature. For many players, this renders the neck harness-type harmonica holders unusable in the performance of their preferred styles of music. Also, such harness type devices do not allow the performer to acquire the stylistically desirable tonal-timbre characteristics which are obtained when a harmonica is held closely to a microphone in a cupped hand or other semi-enclosure, and which sounds are the preferred sounds among performers of styles of music that are characteristically electronically amplified and/or electronically processed.
Moreover, the prior art of the Hubbard harmonica stand, U.S. Pat. No. 4,212,219 of July 15, 1980, attempts to solve some of the deficiencies stated above, but in the attempt involves the manufacture of numerous separate parts which are subsequently fitted together into an entire microphone stand assemly as well as a harmonica mounting assembly, which harmonica mounting assembly alone comprises more than thirty separate parts. This has the disadvantage of being less economical to manufacture than is the present invention/product. A further disadvantage with the prior art disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,212,219 is that the harmonica mounting assembly, along with its attached microphone, are not readily disattachable from and reattachable to the microphone stand, thus restricting the performer to a stand-held use of the device which limits the creative staging options available to the performer. A still further and considerable disadvantage with the prior art of U.S. Pat. No. 4,212,219 is in the solution to the problem of satisfying the necessity for rapid replacement of harmonicas, which rapid replacement is essential to performance due to commonly frequent changes in musical keys and styles of playing. As is referenced in U.S. Pat. No. 4,212,219, column 1, lines 63 through 66, the rapid replacement of harmonicas in the use of said prior art device requires that the user of the device "have a number of harmonicas clamped in seats" and further specifies that rapid replacement is accomplished by reason of a wing nut and an associated slot for replacing seat assemblies and the harmonicas attached thereto. Such a solution is inefficient in cost to the user and presents the user with greater difficulty in use than does the solution afforded by the one-piece, multipurpose body of the present invention/product. The present invention is distinguished from all other types of harmonica holders in that it provides for: (1) greater freedom of motion and more options for creative staging for the performer through either hand-held or stand-held application; (2) flexibility in the setting of both horizontal and vertical pivoting axes, thus allowing the performer to duplicate the mouth-to-harmonica alignments most comfortable to the performer, and thus providing the performer with greater potential to attain levels of virtuosity similar to those attainable by the same performer when hand-holding the harmonica; (3) the attaching of a harmonica to any of the majority of existent standard vocalist-type microphones and microphone stand assemblies; (4) production of unique and desirable tonal-timbre characteristics; (5) economical manufacture due to a one-piece body design and a three-piece attachment assembly; (6) great ease in rapid replacement or changing of harmonicas by reason of a harmonica clamping slot which can be operated easily by both left-handed and right-handed users, and which harmonica clamping slot is an integral part of the unique design of the one-piece body of the present invention/product.